1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for opening a can of the type having a lid intended to be separable from the base of the can by manipulation of an opening ring attached to the lid.
2. Prior Art
Pop-top beverage containers have lid portions with a small round or oval area that can be opened to dispense the liquid contents of the container. Although intended to be opened manually, various devices have been proposed to assist in opening such pop-top containers including the devices shown in the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,352, issued Mar. 3, 1981 (O'Neal); PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,287, issued Mar. 24, 1981 (Dawson); PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,921, issued Jan. 12, 1982 (Miller); PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,171, issued Nov. 22, 1983 (Chmela et al.); PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,919, issued Jan. 14, 1986 (Sellars). PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 1,368,038, issued Feb. 8, 1921 (Larsen); PA0 German patentschrift No. 813,653, dated July 8, 1949 (Kracht).
Earlier can designs had lids intended to be removable by special tools such as the devices shown in the following patents:
There is another container or can design in which a ring is riveted to the lid of the can. The ring is intended to be swung upward and then pulled manually so as to tear the lid from the base of the can and expose the contents. Opening such cans manually can be difficult for those with limited dexterity and can be tiresome and painful if large numbers of cans must be opened in a short period. Nevertheless, there are no known tools for assisting in opening such cans.